Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Man Law

After chatting about Mitchum’s new advertising campaign (see the post, April 24th), I’ve gotten some feedback about how blatant and even exploitive the campaign’s TV commercials are – maybe you’ve seen these clumsy items yourself.

Thanks to a note from Susan Reeves, watch how Miller Lite handles the same line of attack: a series of commercials called “Man Law” which you can see here. Neat ideas, handled in a self-mocking manner that’s got some genuine appeal. (I also protest that Burt Reynolds still looks like he hasn’t aged a day in the past 15 years. Unlikely he’s a Mitchum Man, since he turned 70 this year and is way outside Mitchum’s demographic.)

I don’t drink the stuff…but Miller’s advertising: always a good call.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A good man, Terry Teutsch, told me about seeing the commercials on T.V.

While he was describing them I "googled" Man Law and there they were. We got some good laughs at the site too.

This concept leads to endless opportunites for new laws. Many good happy hour discussions to come. Richard, I owe you a dinner or happy hour myself.

Richard Laurence Baron said...

Additional information comes from Rob Schoenbeck in San Antonio.

Miller's "Man Law" ads feature celebrities like retired NFL star and Detroit native Jerome Bettis, actor Burt Reynolds and comedian Eddie Griffin.

Crispin Porter & Bogusky in Miami created the Miller ad campaign. The agency has gained a reputation for making contemporary ads that appeal to young men in particular, and it worked on the edgy Truth antismoking campaign and ads for Slim Jim.

According to the Kortney Stringer article Rob supplied, "The manly ads illustrate advertisers' attempts to reach men on an intimate level by addressing issues that really concern them, without alienating or offending women in the process - something that's been a challenge for some marketers who are trying to draw young males to their products."

Miller Brewing Company spokesman Pete Marino continues, "These ads are not alienating to women...despite public perception, Miller Lite's largest customer segment is men ages 21 to 27, not women. The sophomoric babes in bikinis were alienating to women."

Thanks and a tip of the Hatlo hat to Rob for the detailed article.